Get your child to the study table

“Switch off the TV! Sit and start studying!”
“I studied the whole day in school; I’m too bored to study again.”

“Stop playing. Come back in the house to study!”

“A little more time. I’ll be home”

Aren’t these some of the frequent conversations you and your child have had? Do you find  yourself resorting to harsh measures, to make sure your child spends a major portion of the day studying? But as a kid, when your parents forced you to study by resorting to strict measures, what was your response? Did that motivate you to study and give your best?

Do you get where we are heading with this? Yes, we are boldly stating that there are better ways to engage your child in studying, after school. Always resorting to such force will prove futile to inculcate that love for learning.

Let’s understand. For many children, conventional studying methods can be a daunting and a dry process. Their energy and lack of patience finds lesser acceptance in the monotonous world of texts. Sitting in one place significantly reduces their energy quotient. They’d better be really engaged in what they are doing to keep their interests intact!

Here are a few ways to ensure children stay committed to learning at home!

  • Regular Time Check

Draw some watertight boundaries for children. Schedule daily fixed times for children to be involved in activities of their choice.

For instance, children are quite high on energy during evenings. It is also the time when their minds are least focused indoors. You can set an hour aside for your child to play outdoors, and once they’ve consumed all their energy playing, they can sit peacefully to learn.

But remember! The shift from playing to studying has to be luring for the child. Don’t ask him to study, rather, devise a clever and a comfortable environment for him to take rest, engaging his mind with playful activities.

  • Reward the good

Children love rewards. When you associate a certain positive action with an external reward, it reinforces their behaviour in that direction. For instance, you can put up a colourful chart on your wall, that will act as a daily tracker for your child’s progress. Make sure you come up with some quirky name for it, like ‘Champion’s Wall’, ‘Superman’s chart’, or something on these lines. You can reward the child with a star or good karma points, which they can redeem for something of their choice later.


  • Make learning fun

Children are totally engrossed while playing. If you can turn a learning topic into a physical activity, song, a visit, or introduce some technological tool like a tablet or mobile phone to engage their senses, the learning can increase exponentially. Don’t be surprised if you find your child asking for more!

For instance, Mnemonics are fun and sticky, and children love them. If it’s a subject like Geography which can get difficult to understand, converting important information into mnemonics, songs and jingles can work very well with kids.

This is the reason why CG Slate is a hit among kids. This educational solution has luring books in which characters move, sing, dance and talk to the child, making studies way more interesting and enjoyable. Plain black and white text can remove the fun out of learning.

  • Determine consequences

It is unrealistic to assume that children will always play by the rules. ‘If this…then that’ statements make it clear to the child what their actions can lead to. When consequences are tied to their behaviour, children respect boundaries and tend to obey the defined guidelines. However, be consistent and mindful, so that it does not border on the lines of being forceful. For instance, if your child does not finish the required homework, then you can remove a star for not completing his work.

Can you imagine a conversation where your child proactively takes the effort to study diligently rather than you nagging about it all the time? As a parent, you wield immense power. If used well, that power can truly inculcate the love for learning in a child.

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